In the trial of an alleged gang that is said to have smuggled several tons of cocaine from South America to Germany, the Berlin district court wants to announce a verdict against five defendants on Monday. Prosecutors have asked for prison sentences of up to thirteen and a half years. The defenders of the 34 to 38-year-old defendants pleaded for lower sentences. The trial, which has been ongoing for almost nine months, is being continued against five other accused.
According to investigations, the accused worked as “logistics”. The illegal business was handled by a network of shell companies. Since 2012, several sea containers, each with several hundred kilograms of cocaine, have reached Germany via the port of Hamburg. Drugs were hidden in specially made metal plates.
“In total, it is more than three tons,” said the prosecutor. Three of the main accused would have earned around 6.8 million euros. This amount is to be collected. The prosecutor demanded thirteen and a half years in prison against a 37-year-old who had taken responsibility as a mastermind of the group in the process. The four accomplices are to be sentenced to prison terms of between almost 8 and almost 13 years. The defenders demanded sentences between a maximum of five and eleven years.
After around two years of investigations, the police raided the alleged gang in November 2021. More than 250 emergency services searched more than 40 properties in Germany and abroad and executed 14 arrest warrants. (dpa)
